PIANGS IN BOARD SCHOOLS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 487, 9 July 1890, Page 3

PIANGS IN BOARD SCHOOLS.

A Chat With a London Board School

Teacher. A good deal of ridicule has been spent upon the proposal to provide Board schools with pianos. All sorts of absurd statements have been set about by tho simple fact that the Board has invited tenders for the supply of a certain number of instruments to the larger schools. Perhaps the persons, however, who have tho best right to bo heard on the subject are the teachers, and accordingly a representative consulted a lady who is well entitled to bo the representative of her class. She is the headmistress of the infants’ department in a school which is situated in the heart of Bethnal Green.

‘I am delighted at the prospect ot a piano,’ she frankly exclaimed. ‘ln a school like ours, which is one of “special difficulty”—the special difficulty being the under-feeding and bad home-training of the children —it will be an invaluable help. In my belief there is no better civilising agency than music ; and I say this without being a musician myself, so I have no exceptional enthusiasm in the matter. Some time ago a piano was brought into our schoolroom for the purposes of a concert. On the following ‘day a gentleman happened to call during the dinner hour,, and seeing the piano sat down and played some tune?. You should have seen the delight of the children ! They were eliting their penny dinners, but at the first sound of the music they took partners to each other and danced the valse and polka with all the pleasure imaginable.’ ‘ I suppose the pianos will be mostly used for singing ?’— ‘ Yes ; without music it goes very flab. Some time ago we tried to get the boys to whistle an accompaniment to the girls’ singing. Bub one little fellow whistled so shrilly that it quite drowned their voices. With the kindergarten the piano will be of the greatest assistance, and it will enable us to have musical drills.’ * I 6ee that in some of the provincial towns the teachers themselves—so highly did they value them have provided pianos.’— * Oh, that has been done in London schools —especially in the better-class districts. Yes, J believe, too, that in many cases the cost of the pianos has been repaid by persons hiring the rooms paying for their use. In every school some of the teachers can play, so that for school as well as social purposes the instruments will be well used.’— ‘ Pall Mall Budget.’